Problematic Social Media Use and Depressive Outcomes among College Students in China: Observational and Experimental Findings

Abstract

Aims: Problematic social media use is increasing in China and could be a risk factor for depression. We investigated cross-sectional associations between problematic social media use and depressive outcomes among Chinese college students with potential mediation by perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness. Thereafter, we evaluated the effectiveness of a one-month group counseling intervention in reducing depressive symptoms related to social media addiction. Methods: Depressive symptoms, social media addiction, perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness were self-reported among 21,000 college students in Shaanxi province, China. A randomized controlled trial was designed based on the results of the observational study and Satir Transformational Systemic Therapy (STST) among 60 college students assigned to intervention (N = 30) or control/no treatment (N = 30). Self-administered surveys were completed at baseline (T1), at the end of the 1-month intervention (T2), and at 2-month follow-up post-intervention (T3). Results: After controlling for relevant covariates, more problematic social media use was associated with more depressive symptoms (β = 0.18, p < 0.001) and depression (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.075, 1.092). Multiple mediation analyses found that perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness significantly mediated associations between problematic social media use and depressive symptoms (model fit: RMSEA = 0.065, GFI = 0.984, CFI = 0.982). Bootstrapping revealed significant indirect effects of problematic social media use on depressive symptoms through the mediators named above (0.143, 95% CI: 0.133, 0.156). The subsequently informed intervention significantly reduced depressive symptoms at T2 (mean difference: −12.70, 95% CI: −16.64, −8.76, p < 0.001) and at T3 (mean difference: −8.70, 95% CI: −12.60, −4.80, p < 0.001), as well as levels of social media addiction, perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness. Conclusions: Problematic social media use is a risk factor for depressive outcomes among Chinese college students, and perceived social support, social media violence, and loneliness mediate this association. STST-based group counseling may reduce depressive symptoms related to high social media usage in this population.

The mediating role of anxiety and depression between problematic social media use and bulimia nervosa among Lebanese university students

“…The fear of COVID-19 and the lockdown’s impact were both associated with lower general wellbeing, anxiety and depression among Lebanese samples [ 58 , 59 ]. Results of our study showed that higher PSMU was significantly associated with depression and anxiety, in line with previous findings [ 60 – 62 ]. These authors speculated that the reason for this association may be due to the fact that individuals who engage in online-activities in an excessive way, may neglect healthy aspects of their lives, which could contribute to depressive symptoms.…”

“…Hence, excessive internet users may more be likely to replace their real-life interactions by online sites than the normal users. They were also found to have more depressive symptoms [ 61 , 62 ]. A study conducted on Lebanese university students had found a significant association between potential internet addiction and insomnia, depression, anxiety and stress [ 63 ].…”

The double-edged sword effects of active social media use on loneliness: The roles of interpersonal satisfaction and fear of missing out

“…A study showed that problematic social media use positively predicted loneliness 15 months later (Marttila et al, 2021). Chen et al (2022) study found that problematic social media use increased depressive symptoms and that loneliness mediates this relationship. Thus, state-FoMO may be associated with increased loneliness.…”

The relationship between loneliness and problematic social media usage in Chinese university students: A longitudinal study

“…The rst perspective posits that loneliness positively predicts problematic social media use [11,15,19,24]. The second perspective suggests that problematic social media use positively predicts loneliness [14,18]. The third perspective proposes a bidirectional relationship between loneliness and problematic social media use [16,17].…”

“…First, there is a lack of longitudinal studies that explore the causal relationship between loneliness and problematic social media use. Existing research on the predictive direction of the relationship between loneliness and problematic social media use has yielded inconsistent ndings [11,[14][15][16][17][18][19]. It remains unclear whether loneliness precedes or follows problematic social media use.…”